# The Absent One (2014 film)
**The Absent One** (Danish: *Fasandræberne*, German: *Schändung*, Swedish: *Fasanjägarna*) is a 2014 Danish crime thriller directed by Mikkel Nørgaard and the second film adaptation of [Jussi Adler-Olsen](https://www.edgepedia.org/jussi-adler-olsen)'s Department Q novels, following *The Keeper of Lost Causes* (2013).[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/262296/) • [2](https://www.dfi.dk/sites/default/files/docs/2018-02/dfi_FILM_Cannes15_MAG_spread%20%282%29.pdf) It reunites deputy detective superintendent Carl Mørck and his partner Assad of Copenhagen Police's Department Q, the unit handling "cases of special focus", as they reinvestigate a 1994 double murder.[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/262296/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | Fasandræberne; international title The Absent One[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/262296/) |
| Director / screenplay | Mikkel Nørgaard; screenplay by Nikolaj Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg, after the novel by Jussi Adler-Olsen[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/262296/) |
| Danish release | 2 October 2014, distributed by Nordisk Film[3](https://www.scope.dk/film/9710-fasandraeberne) |
| Production | Zentropa Entertainments; producers Jonas Bagger and Louise Vesth; co-production with Germany and Sweden[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/262296/) • [4](https://www.filmportal.de/film/schaendung_1306c2c015364d908f65e6b658484c58) |
| Lead cast | Nikolaj Lie Kaas (Carl Mørck), Fares Fares (Assad), Pilou Asbæk (Ditlev Pram), David Dencik (Ulrik Dybbøl), Danica Ćurčić (Kimmie), Johanne Louise Schmidt (Rose)[5](https://nordische-filmtage.de/en/programm/movie/view/2014/6501.html) |
| Reception | IMDb 7.1/10 (about 26,000 votes); Rotten Tomatoes 92% Tomatometer from 12 reviews, 69% audience score[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_absent_one) |
| Danish admissions | 764,000 by 31 December 2014[7](https://danskfilmogtv.dk/content.php?page=media&value=22585) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
In 1994, two young twins are found brutally murdered in a summer cottage. Clues point to a group of upper-class students from a nearby boarding school, but the case is closed when a local outsider pleads guilty and is convicted of the murders.[5](https://nordische-filmtage.de/en/programm/movie/view/2014/6501.html) Twenty years later, a former police officer, the twins' father, asks Carl Mørck to find out who really killed his children, and Mørck soon concludes that something in the case resolution is wrong.[8](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-absent-one)
An archived emergency call from a young woman leads Mørck and Assad to Kimmie, a witness to the crime who has been missing since the murders and is said to have been seen among homeless people.[5](https://nordische-filmtage.de/en/programm/movie/view/2014/6501.html) The investigation points to former boarding school students Ditlev Pram and Ulrik Dybbøl, now influential top-level managers, and the detectives are not the only ones looking for Kimmie: powerful men who fear her testimony will do what they can to keep her silent.[5](https://nordische-filmtage.de/en/programm/movie/view/2014/6501.html) • [9](https://flixpatrol.com/title/the-absent-one/)
## Production
The film was produced by Zentropa Entertainments as a Danish-German-Swedish co-production, with Jonas Bagger and Louise Vesth as producers and Peter Aalbæk Jensen among the producers credited on the Danish side.[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/262296/) • [3](https://www.scope.dk/film/9710-fasandraeberne) Eric Kress was the cinematographer, Morten Egholm and Frederik Strunk the editors, Rasmus Thjellesen the production designer, and the score was written by Patrik Andrén, Uno Helmersson, and Johan Söderqvist.[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/262296/) Principal photography ran from 23 September to 11 December 2013 in Denmark, Hamburg, and [Schleswig-Holstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/schleswig-holstein).[4](https://www.filmportal.de/film/schaendung_1306c2c015364d908f65e6b658484c58) TrustNordisk handled international sales.[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/262296/)
Johanne Louise Schmidt made her film debut in the role of the department's secretary Rose, joining Kaas and Fares from the first film.[10](https://www.nfbio.dk/film/fasandraeberne) Four Department Q films were planned at the time, with *A Conspiracy of Faith* (*Flaskepost fra P*) announced as the next installment.[10](https://www.nfbio.dk/film/fasandraeberne)
## Release and reception
The film premiered in Danish cinemas on 2 October 2014.[3](https://www.scope.dk/film/9710-fasandraeberne) Its German premiere was on 26 September 2014 at the Hamburg Filmfest, with German theatrical release on 15 January 2015 under the title *Schändung*; it sold 64,756 tickets in Germany by December 2015.[4](https://www.filmportal.de/film/schaendung_1306c2c015364d908f65e6b658484c58) Further releases followed in Croatia (12 March 2015), Hungary (19 March 2015), and France (8 April 2015).[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/262296/) In Denmark it drew 764,000 cinema admissions by the end of 2014.[7](https://danskfilmogtv.dk/content.php?page=media&value=22585)
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 92% Tomatometer from 12 reviews and a 69% audience score; on IMDb it rates 7.1 out of 10 from roughly 26,000 votes.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_absent_one) Reviewers noted Nørgaard's use of long flashbacks and shadowed imagery; Ken Jaworowski of *The New York Times* wrote that the director "propels the story by smartly sticking to the formula he used in the previous film: hints of menace, gorgeously shadowed shots and long flashbacks".[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_absent_one) Danish critics were more reserved: *Politiken* and *Berlingske* each gave 3 out of 6, while *Jyllands-Posten* gave 4, with its reviewer describing initial enthusiasm that settled into "respect for good craftsmanship".[3](https://www.scope.dk/film/9710-fasandraeberne) A Swedish review in MovieZine called it a competently produced but routine follow-up.[11](https://www.moviezine.se/movies/fasanjagarna)
## Runtime and availability
Sources give differing runtimes: the Danish Film Institute catalog lists 119 minutes,[2](https://www.dfi.dk/sites/default/files/docs/2018-02/dfi_FILM_Cannes15_MAG_spread%20%282%29.pdf) filmportal.de lists 120 minutes,[4](https://www.filmportal.de/film/schaendung_1306c2c015364d908f65e6b658484c58) and [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) lists 1 hour 56 minutes (116 minutes) for the streaming versions.[8](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-absent-one) In the United States the film has been available on Philo, AMC+, Sundance Now, and Kanopy, with digital purchase or rental on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, and Fandango At Home; in the United Kingdom it streams on Viaplay's Amazon Channel.[8](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-absent-one) • [12](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/the-absent-one) Netflix lists it as *Department Q: The Absent One*, rated TV-MA, though availability varies by country.[13](https://www.netflix.com/title/80025627?source=35)
## References
1. [The Absent One (Fasandræberne), Cineuropa](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/262296/)
2. [THE ABSENT ONE / FASANDDRÆBERNE, Danish Film Institute catalogue (Cannes 2015)](https://www.dfi.dk/sites/default/files/docs/2018-02/dfi_FILM_Cannes15_MAG_spread%20%282%29.pdf)
3. [Fasandræberne, Scope](https://www.scope.dk/film/9710-fasandraeberne)
4. [Schändung, filmportal.de](https://www.filmportal.de/film/schaendung_1306c2c015364d908f65e6b658484c58)
5. [Fasandræberne, Nordische Filmtage Lübeck](https://nordische-filmtage.de/en/programm/movie/view/2014/6501.html)
6. [The Absent One, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_absent_one)
7. [Fasandræberne, danskfilmogtv.dk](https://danskfilmogtv.dk/content.php?page=media&value=22585)
8. [The Absent One streaming, JustWatch (US)](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-absent-one)
9. [The Absent One, FlixPatrol](https://flixpatrol.com/title/the-absent-one/)
10. [Fasandræberne, Nordisk Film Biografer](https://www.nfbio.dk/film/fasandraeberne)
11. [Fasanjägarna (2014), MovieZine](https://www.moviezine.se/movies/fasanjagarna)
12. [The Absent One, JustWatch (UK)](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/the-absent-one)
13. [Department Q: The Absent One, Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/title/80025627?source=35)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2010–2014 films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license